Finn replied almost instantly: “Miss Whitmore, you’re as sharp as ever. I knew you couldn’t possibly have forgotten about me.”


    Evangeline stared at his message, speechless.


    Finn added, “I heard you’ve been holed up in thebtely–barely eating, working yourself thin. I thought today might be a good chance to cheer you up.”


    Evangeline replied, “Thanks, but these are a bit much. I can’t ept them for nothing.”


    “Then do me a favor,” Finn said.


    “What kind of favor?” she asked.


    A few minutes passed before his response came.


    “I’ll pick you up after work.”


    Evangeline was about to refuse when another message popped up: “I promise it won’t take long.”


    Seeing this, she decided to agree. Finn had mentioned before he’d done some work with robotics too, and since her own project had hit a dead end, maybe this was a good chance to talk things over.


    When the workday ended, Evangeline spotted Finn waiting for her outside the building, punctual as always.


    Today he wore a pale grey vest, and his gold–rimmed sses hung from a delicate chain on his chest. His deep–set, soulful eyes seemed even more striking than


    usual.


    Something about him felt different to Evangeline, though she couldn’t quite say what it was. He was just… more captivating than before.


    As they walked into a bistro together, the waitress taking orders nearly tripped over her words when she saw Finn. Her eyes followed him all the way until they’d disappeared into a private booth.


    Evangeline could feel the hostile stares from other women as they passed–a sensation she’d grown used to during her time around Soren, so it hardly fazed her


    12:35


    now.


    Once they were seated, Evangeline turned to Finn. “Alright, you’ve got me here. What’s this favor you need?”


    “Let’s order first,” Finn said smoothly.


    He picked up the menu, then lifted his gold–rimmed sses with practiced elegance and settled them on the bridge of his nose.


    Evangeline had always assumed the sses were just for show. “You wear those for style, or do you actually need them?” she asked.


    “A little nearsighted,” Finn replied.


    She made a small, nomittal sound.


    Finn.continued, “It’s not too bad now, but there was a time everyone thought I might lose my sight altogether.”


    Evangeline looked up, surprised.


    He tapped the corner of his eye, his tone casual. “When I was seven, there was a huge fallout in my family. My mom took me and we fled the country, but someone caught up with us. I got stabbed in the eye. Took two days in the hospital to save my vision.”


    Evangeline felt her heart skip a beat.


    She’d heard about the infamous Lockridge family scandals–how, at its worst, dozens of people vanished overnight. She knew their infighting was brutal, but she’d never imagined it could be that cruel.


    Seven years old… What kind of person could hurt a child?


    She was still caught up in her thoughts when Finn pressed his fingers to his lips, shoulders shaking with suppressedughter. “Kidding.”


    Evangeline stared at him, exasperated.


    Finn grinned. “Birds of a feather, right? Truth is, I’m pretty gullible too.”


    Rolling her eyes, she bent over the menu and ignored him.


    “But,” Finn said, leaning in a little, “the way you looked at me just now–so


    concerned–it almost brought a tear to my eye. If you keep looking at me like that, I might never recover.”


    She didn’t bother replying.


    213


    12:35


    Suddenly, Finn nced at his watch. As he raised his wrist, Evangeline noticed a long, jagged scar running up the inside of his arm.


    Her back stiffened.


    That kind of scar… only came from a suicide attempt.